Master of Software Engineering Programs

Min is a co-founder and the CEO of Wisy, a global AI platform with image recognition that optimizes display products, enabling retailers to maximize sales by making products more visible. Migrating from China to Panama at a very young age, Min grew up helping her parents start and grow their business, a formative experience that taught her that if one has vision, determination, and resilience they can achieve anything. Since obtaining her degree from the MSE Professional Programs, Min has started two companies and earned an MBA from BerkeleyHaas.

How do you think your time at CMU and, more specifically, the training you received in the MSE program helped you get where you are today in the highly demanding start-up space? 

Every day I benefit from being an MSE and CMU alum. From the technical side, which is important because my company is software intensive, the knowledge of how software is created and the complexities and the resources and the development stages involved helps me to plan our product development. But having technical skills is not enough; you have to understand the human aspects of working in and managing teams. Before CMU I was a perfectionist. In the MSE program I learned the difference between being perfect and being excellent. I learned how to be excellent and, at the same time, create an environment where excellence is nurtured and promoted. 

On top of that, in 2019 WISY was selected to participate in the VentureBridge Summer Accelerator. Being able to say that CMU is not only my alma mater, but also an investor in my business helps open a lot of doors for both customers and investors.

Paulo has been programming in the small and programming in the large for over 30 years. He is a software developer at the Brazilian Federal Court of Accounts. He is also a Visiting Scientist with the Software Engineering Institute (SEI), and a faculty member of the master program in Applied Computing at University of Brasilia. Paulo often delivers professional training to fellow developers in the US, Latin America, and Europe. His speaking experience also includes tutorials at DDD Europe, OOP, JavaOne, SPLASH/OOPSLA, SATURN, guest lectures in different universities, and invited talks at different companies. He is co-author of Documenting Software Architectures: Views and Beyond, 2nd edition. When not at work he loves spending time with his family and mountain biking (you’ll find him on Strava).

What have been the biggest challenges in your career? 

As a software engineer, I see new technologies, tools, frameworks, and techniques released daily. It's hard to keep up. Even harder is to decide what to use in a given context. Much of what's published on the Web emphasizes (and sometimes even inflates) the benefits only. In the MSE program I learned fundamentals of software design that still today help me see the technology landscape with clarity. I learned to ask 'Why', seeing benefits but always pondering about the risks and challenges involved in software project decisions. 

Mario has over 15 years of experience in the software industry and has worked as the Chief Technology Officer at UBits, an Engineering Manager at Twilio, the Director of Engineering at TODO1 Services Inc. Mario is a member of the MSE Alumni Advisory Board.

What did you enjoy most about your position as a CTO?

Helping my team and the company work creatively within restrictions (both business and technical) and ambiguity to envision valuable solutions to real-world problems while maximizing their desired career and enterprise outcomes.